


Clueless

by rainbowgoddess



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Bromance, First Time, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-12
Updated: 2011-04-12
Packaged: 2017-10-18 00:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowgoddess/pseuds/rainbowgoddess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Episode follow-up to 1 x 20 Ma Ke Kahakai. Danny has been dropping hints all over the place, but Steve is sadly clueless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clueless

Danny was getting enormously frustrated with one completely clueless Navy SEAL of his acquaintance.

He'd been working with Steve for what, eight months now? It seemed like a lifetime. And for most of that time, he'd been dropping subtle — and not-so-subtle — hints that he'd like to be much more than just friends and partners with Steve.

He went along with whatever Steve suggested. Sure, he argued with Steve sometimes — well, a lot of the time. But he usually wound up giving in. He went out for beers with Steve — and usually wound up paying. He went on hikes with Steve that turned into mountain-climbing expeditions and near-death experiences.

He poured out his heart to Steve when they were alone together, telling him about his troubles with Rachel, his concerns about how Grace was handling the divorce, his problems with his brother, etc. He'd told Steve he was jealous of Nick Taylor. He'd even called Steve "babe." That one hadn't been completely intentional; it had just sort of slipped out. But Steve hadn't seemed to mind.

Danny had been completely terrified when he'd seen Steve get hit by the rock and fall from the cliff face. He'd thought for just a brief — but much too long — moment that he'd just lost Steve for good. He'd been enormously relieved when Steve had said he was okay, though of course, Steve was NOT okay.

When the helicopter was carrying Steve away, Steve said, "Thanks, braddah," to him. In response, Danny pointed to himself, drew a heart in the air and then pointed at Steve. He'd seriously considered just coming right out and saying, "I love you, Steven," but he'd been afraid the helicopter noise would drown him out. He hoped Steve would get the message.

But somehow, Steve didn't.

He'd had some hopes when Steve had called him "Babe" in the restaurant when they were looking at the fish. His wiping the fish scales from his hands on to Steve's shirt had been a flirtatious move on his part, or at least he'd intended it to be, but again, Steve hadn't gotten the message.

Things came to a head when they were having a drink at the Hilton to celebrate wrapping up their case. Their server asked if she could sign Steve's cast. To Danny's astonishment, Steve had accepted. Danny had tried his hardest to discourage her, but to no avail. He was certain that Steve would have figured out by his actions that he was jealous of the attention Steve was paying to the woman, but again, Steve was completely oblivious.

Steve hadn't let Danny sign his cast. He'd let the server sign his cast. Something was definitely wrong there. He spent the weekend stewing about it. Even Grace noticed something was wrong.

"Why are you mad, Daddy?" she'd asked.

"I'm mad because Uncle Steve didn't let me sign his cast when he broke his arm," Danny replied.

"Aw," Grace said sympathetically. "That wasn't nice of Uncle Steve not to let you sign his cast. D'you want me to tell him you want to sign his cast?"

Danny laughed. His daughter could always break him out of his bad moods. "No, darling. That's okay. I'll tell him on Monday."

"Tell him I said he should let you sign it. And tell him I hope his arm gets better soon."

On Monday morning Danny stormed into Steve's office and slammed the door behind him. Steve looked up in alarm.

"Have you always been completely dense, or is it a recent development?" Danny demanded.

"Uh.... What?" Steve obviously did not know what his partner was going on about.

"See? That's just it. You are completely and totally oblivious to everything that's going on around you — except for dead bodies and pretty waitresses, that is."

"Waitresses? Wait, is this about Friday?" Steve asked.

"Finally! He gets a clue! Yes, this is about Friday! This is about me doing everything imaginable to get an idea through your thick skull, and just when I think that maybe I've finally gotten through to you, you go and let a pretty waitress sign your fucking cast when I, the guy who climbed the mountain for you, the guy who plucked you off the damned ledge, didn't get to sign it."

"I think technically it was the helicopter that plucked me off the ledge," Steve noted.

Danny banged his head against the wall. He was tempted to bang Steve's head against the wall, but even with one arm in a cast, Steve was a pretty tough guy, and he would not let Danny get away with it.

"Danny, why don't you just start from the beginning and tell me what's bothering you," Steve suggested, being completely calm and rational, and pissing off Danny even more by being calm and rational.

Taking a deep breath, Danny tried to figure out what to say next. "All right, remember when the helicopter picked you up off the ledge, and you thanked me? You said, 'Thanks, braddah,'"

"Ye-es," Steve said.

"Do you remember what I did then?"

"You made a little drawing in the air, and you pointed at me," Steve said.

Danny walked up to Steve and got in his face. "What did I draw?"

"I'm not sure," Steve mumbled as Danny got closer.

Danny started to walk Steve into a corner. "Yes, you are."

"Nooo, I'm not," Steve protested. The calmness and rationality were disappearing quite rapidly.

Continuing to back Steve into the corner, Danny made a quick sketching motion with his hands. "It was like this — see?"

"Okay, so you drew a heart. It's nice. I still don't get what you want from me."

When Steve was all the way into the corner and was boxed in, Danny said, "I want this," and kissed him.

Steve's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't fight or protest. Instead, he snaked his arms around his partner's neck and returned the kiss.

When they broke apart, Danny asked, "Now do you understand what I've been hinting at for the past several months?"

"Those really have been hints? I thought you were just messing with me."

Danny came close to doing a literal facepalm. "And why would I mess with you like that, pray tell?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know. I thought it was just part of how we are together. We argue. We joke around. We do stuff like that. I thought you were still hung up on your ex-wife. I didn't think you were interested in me that way — though I admit the heart did make me wonder. I thought maybe the pain from my broken arm was making me imagine things."

Giving his partner a gentle cuff on the side of the head, Danny said, "I don't know how you have survived this long when you are so totally clueless."

Steve grabbed the hand that Danny hit him with, pulled his partner close and kissed him again. "You could have just been direct with me instead of dropping hints all over the place."

"Okay. How's this for direct?" Danny drew the heart again, this time on Steve's chest. "I love you, Steven Clueless McGarrett."

"I love you too, Danny Indirect Williams."

"Then why didn't you let me sign your cast?" Danny wanted to know.

"You're still upset about that? Okay, listen. Have you ever worn a cast before?"

"No," Danny admitted.

"Okay, well, let me tell you something. A cast stinks. It stinks worse than those fish guts you smeared on my shirt. It's not something you want to keep as a souvenir.

"If you'd signed it, then I would've felt bad about throwing it away. I didn't care that Kamekona signed it. I didn't care that the waitress signed it. I'd forgotten her name by the next morning." He looked at Danny. "You really felt bad about that. I thought you were just fooling around when you were protesting about the waitress signing my cast. I'm sorry."

"You know, I was really worried about you when we were on that cliff," Danny said.

"I know you were. I was worried about you, too. But you really came through for me."

"So how are you going to show your appreciation, then?" Danny asked with a wide grin on his face.

"I have a few ideas," Steve said. "I'll show you after work."

"It's a date."

END


End file.
